Jay & Miles X-Plain the X-Men

In which X-Factor bounces from one rock-bottom to another; Sabretooth gets his (murderous) groove back; Dark Beast embraces the iMac aesthetic; the tip was righteous; Mystique multitasks like a pro; and Shard Bishop has come unstuck in time. X-PLAINED: X-Nation What X-Factor’s been up to X-Factor #138-141 Omega Red (again) The Brotherhood’s new hideout Mallory Brickman Miles and/or Ralph Brickman...

In which we disagree about the value of Stan Lee intros; everybody wants Wolverine; Mister Sinister lurks; Haley Blanding deserves better; Thunderbird fights a tiger; and Xavier and Magneto do their usual thing. X-PLAINED: The Circus of Crime Stan Lee intros Wolverine #-1 X-Factor #-1 X-Force #-1 X-Men #-1 Proust vs. Sartre How Logan joined Alpha Flight The secret origin of the word “canucklehead....

In which Jay returns; babies are bad at pretty much everything; continuity flies straight out the window; Cable should speak English with a Scottish accent; Harry Leland knows how to dress; Tanya Trask makes the same time travel mistake everyone makes; and we love Al Kennedy forever. X-PLAINED: Sentry (but not that one) Babies Flashback Cable #-1 Excalibur #-1 Generation X #-1 Uncanny X-Men #-1 Th...

And now for something completely different. ( Death’s Head II #1) In which Death’s Head gets around universes; AIM fails to recognize closed narrative loops; we need more huscarls in comics; time travel occasionally solves the problems it creates; and we bid a fond farewell (for now) to Al Kennedy. X-PLAINED: Death’s Head Death’s Head II  #1-4 Marvel UK Death’s Head I...

Did the Astral Plane used to be this cramped? ( Kitty Pryde: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. #3) In which Shadowcat gets a new miniseries; people don’t talk that way (but probably should); holograms are magic; the Helicarrier gets possessed; Wolverine fights a computer; and Miles and Al pitch live-action X-series. X-PLAINED: Possession Shadowcat (Kitty Pryde) (more) (again) Kitty Pryde: Agent of S.H.I...

Captain Mustache, Part the Second. ( Excalibur #115) In which Marvel UK was a wild ride; everyone has a definitive Kitty Pryde; Sari St. Hubbins studies her X-Men; Moira MacTaggert discovers contagion theory; ideas do not stories make; Meggan is the heart of the team; and  Excalibur  inches towards its finale. X-PLAINED: Marvel UK Digitek Excalibur  #114-117 What Excalibur’s been up to Tunne...

And now for something completely different. ( Generation X Holiday Special #1) In which Santa Claus makes problematic choices; we make good on a promise; Sebastian is the new Deadpool; Skrulls get stuck as animals more than you’d think; Nanny and Orphan-Maker celebrate; and Jubilee stops worrying and learns to love Christmas. X-PLAINED Santa Claus’s flirtations with villainy A new direction for Ge...

Art by David Wynne. Wanna buy the original? Drop him a line! In which legacy numbering is best left alone; all roads lead to the Antarctic; we finally learn Gambit’s big secret; Erik the Red gets yet a third identity; no one soils the Juggernaut; Maggott saves the day; and we have somehow made (technically more than) 400 of these things. X-PLAINED Spat The tragic loss of the Cyber Comics How not t...

Art by David Wynne. Wanna buy the original? Drop him a line! In which the  X-Force  road trip era begins; Team X takes on a new dimension; Dani Moonstar gets her subtext back; pointing out a stereotype doesn’t excuse using it; Tabitha Smith generally deserves better; platypuses are underrepresented in the superhero genre; Hell becomes Stryfe; and Domino gets back in the game. X-PLAINED A dastardly...

Art by David Wynne. Wanna buy the original? Drop him a line! In which the rest of the X-Men return from space; Maggott is the new cool; Gambit’s past catches up with him; Chris Bachalo takes over as regular artist on  Uncanny X-Men ; Deathbird flirts singularly aggressively; Eany and Meany eat a truck; dating a telepathic ninja is going to take some getting used to; and Havok predictably rem...

Art by David Wynne. Wanna buy the original? Drop him a line! In which Al Kennedy and Miles enter a somewhat post -OZT world, the art of Frank Teran (whose uncle built a jetpack) elevates an otherwise merely decent story, Puck is played by Bob Hoskins, Wild Child gets a chance to shine, Mystique and Forge are sitting in a tree, and Swamp Thing is amazing. X-PLAINED: Spider-Man’s head cold Sab...

Art by David Wynne. Wanna buy the original? Drop him a line! In which we spend too long trying to place a time-travel miniseries in continuity, Al Kennedy does us a solid, Bernard Chang draws some excellent New Mutants young and old, Al Ewing x-plains X-Men: Red,  Forearm and Random play Nintendo, and we reveal the winners of The Ninth Annual Super Doctor Astronaut Peter Corbeau Awards for Excelle...

Art by David Wynne. Wanna buy the original? Drop him a line! In which Jay has exciting news, Rick Leonardo draws an impressively creepy mad scientist’s lair, the clouds are purple and so is the prose, Powers of X gets a subtle prequel 21 years early, Cable’s own tolerance has finally reached zero, and we summarize Bastion’s backstory way, way faster than Bastion does. X-PLAINED: Machine Man (X-51)...

This would usually be a skip week, but thanks to some generous donors to Equality Florida, Hawk Talk is back! This week: Dave Tomaine and Rho Sovia’s graphic novel, Keeper! LINKS AND FURTHER READING You can buy Keeper digitally at BigCartel or physically at Studio Two Boys ! Check out Dave’s band Cave People ! Find Dave on Twitter ( twice )!

Art by David Wynne. Wanna buy the original? Drop him a line! In which there’s always room for another X-cast; Cecilia Reyes wasn’t even supposed to be here today; Sabra has indestructible underwear; prime sentinels are probably even worse pets than quail; Marrow probably swears more than superhero comics allow for; and Operation Zero Tolerance comes to an end. X-PLAINED: The original proposed endi...

Art by David Wynne. Wanna buy the original? Drop him a line! In which Operation Zero Tolerance continues; the X-Men take over Wolverine ; wolverine is the designated John McClane of the X-Men; torsos are confusing places; and we sincerely hope that Jean Grey got to do some off-panel dating. X-PLAINED: Bastion’s priorities Operation Zero Tolerance (so far) Wolverine #115-118 How to villainously dec...

Art by David Wynne. Wanna buy the original? Drop him a line! In which Chris Bachalo changes things up; we theorize about Prime Sentinel hierarchy; the headmasters go undercover; fictional characters spend a lot of time in sewers; M’s secret comes to light; J. Jonah Jameson is at his best in X-books; Jay pitches a video game; Marrow gets a makeover; and part of journalistic integrity is choosing wh...

This would usually be a skip week, but thanks to some generous donors to Equality Florida, Hawk Talk is back! This week, we talk about lawyers and law. LINKS AND FURTHER READING Follow Lyra Foster on Twitter ! Check out the Trans Family Network !

Art by David Wynne. Wanna buy the original? Drop him a line! In which the X-Mansion has unusually large vents; Cable’s hair should not be floppy; Nate Grey meets his maternal grandparents; and we would really like to know more about the Siege of the Vapor Ants. X-PLAINED: Cable #45-47 X-Man #30 What various Nathans have been up to Operation Zero Tolerance (again) The Siege of the Vapor Ants Three...

Art by David Wynne. Wanna buy the original? Drop him a line! In which Danielle Moonstar quiet quits; a bunch of people regular quit; we are pleasantly surprised by the survival of a minor character; tough guys wear hearts; and X-Force once again takes its place as the best comic of the line. X-PLAINED: Vanisher’s brain tumor, again X-Force #67-70 The Wakeman Oncological Research Center Commander E...

Art by David Wynne. Wanna buy the original? Drop him a line! In which some puns are fundamentally visual; Jubilee is a really good kid; Bastion is a bad person but a good villain; Bachalo does Romita; Seagulls are assholes (but reasonably good narrators); Skin has no time for fantasies; Hitch does Cockrum; and Operation Zero Tolerance (unofficially) begins (again). X-PLAINED: Glorian, the Shaper o...

This would usually be a skip week, but thanks to some generous donors to Equality Florida, Hawk Talk is back! This week, we talk about basketball. (Kind of.) LINKS AND FURTHER READING Check out donor Dave Buesing’s site, Comic Book Herald !

Art by David Wynne. Wanna buy the original? Drop him a line! In which there’s a lot of good television out there; Shang-Chi says the title of the story at every possible opportunity; Wolverine is probably not a Deadhead; Sebastian Shaw thinks he’s a bigger deal than he is; and Operation Zero Tolerance officially begins. X-PLAINED: Storm’s ruby X-Men #62-65 The Story So Far Space LEGOs Shang-Chi Sh...

Art by David Wynne. Wanna buy the original? Drop him a line! In which Colossus is good at friendship; nobody notices when Amanda Sefton disappears; evil peaked in the disco era; and Pete Wisdom had hot claws before it was cool. X-PLAINED: Fun times on Mount Wundagore Excalibur #111-113 Rob Stotz Brooding Friendship Rory Campbell (again) The return of Sebastian Shaw MIS departments Two versions of...

Art by David Wynne. Wanna buy the original? Drop him a line! In which treading water isn’t always a bad thing; Storm remains an irresponsible leader; nobody should ever trust Dark Beast; we are befuddled by a large metal man; Maggott makes his debut; and we ship the heck out of Deathbird and Bishop. X-PLAINED: The time Captain America dated a supervillain Treading water Gene Nation (again) Uncanny...